Georgia Removes Over 300,000 Children from Medicaid Rolls

Georgia, along with Florida and Texas, has led the nation in cutting children’s Medicaid coverage as part of a national process to re-evaluate eligibility after the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a Georgetown University study, these three states account for 45% of the children disenrolled from Medicaid. In Georgia, more than 300,000 children were removed from the PeachCare for Kids insurance program.

During the pandemic, Medicaid rolls swelled as everyone enrolled was allowed to remain without the usual annual paperwork to confirm eligibility. As a result, Georgia’s Medicaid rolls grew to 2.8 million people, encompassing one-quarter of the state’s population.

Now, with the end of federal pandemic emergencies, states are required to review all Medicaid cases over the course of a year to ensure continued eligibility. This re-evaluation process in Georgia is still underway but is expected to conclude soon.

Strikingly, researchers say that the overwhelming majority of children disenrolled from health insurance in Georgia are likely still eligible for Medicaid but have had their coverage revoked due to procedural red tape.